Improvement in harvesters



Barnim WILLIAM K. MlILLER, OF CANTON, OHIO;

IMPROVEMENT IN HARVESTERS.

'Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 139,596, dated June 3, 1873; application filed i March 14, 1e73. i

f @Asn A.

'To allzu/Lam it' may concern:

Beit knownthat 1, WLLLIAM K; MILLER,

vof Canton, linthe county of Stark and State of Ohio ,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Harvester-Rakes, of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to that class of automatic combined reels and rakes'in which a series of revolving rake-heads have the proper rising and? falling movements imparted .to them by a guide-cam and a switch controlled by the driver, to throw any desired number of rakefheads into action to regulate the frequency of the discharge and the consequent size of th'eigavels.

The subject-matter claimed is hereinafte specially set forth.

The accompanying` drawing represents so much of a two-wheeled hinged-joint harvester, embracing my improvements, as is necessary tof illustrate my invention.

y 'Figure lis a plan view, with a portion of the guidecam broken away to show the mechanism beneath it; Fig. 2, a rear elevation partly in section; Fig. 3, a top view of the cam-guide with its switch closed and its latch open; Y`Fig."'4a similar view of the same with i he switch open and the latch closed. Fig. 5 is a-side view, and Fig. 6 a bottom view of the ame. Fig. 7 is a side viewV showing the treadle arrangement for operatin g the switch. Figs. 8 -and 9 are details of the cam. Fig. 10 shows the mode of connecting the rake-arm to its socket. Fig. ll is a top view of the hub which carries the rake-arm; Fig. 12, a bottpipnview ofthe same; Fig. 13, a side Fig. 14, a detail of the same; Fig. 15, a'-'si1e view ot' the rake-supporting frame; and Fig. 16 a view of the tension-arm and pulley.

The construction of most parts of the machine is so well known to skillful builders of harvesting machines as to need no descrip tion here; moreover, the parts relating to the machine, when use-d as a mower, are described in another application tiled simultaneously with this, and of which this is a division.

rlwo main wheels, A, (oneonly of which is shown in the drawings,) support a main-frame, B, to which a coupling-frame, C, is pivoted. A shoe, D, in turn pivoted to the coupling frame,phas a finger-beam, E,and platform F secured to it. The coupling-frame is bifurcated and pivoted to the shoe at the points c c1, Fig. l5. Standards d dl on the shoe support a cross-bar, cl2, on which a. yoke, G', is bolted. A sprocket-wheel, H. on the main axle drives a corresponding pulley, I, (mounted on a shaft turning in bearings in this yoke,)

by means'of a chain, 71., which is kept taut by being passed over a pulley, H1, mounted on a crank-arm, h2, rocking in bearings on the front of the rake-supporting frame or standarddl.

A coiled spring, h3, on this arm acts in opposition to the strain of the chain to keep it' taut. A bevel-pinion, t', on the sprocket-pulley shaft drives` a corresponding bevel-gear, j, on a vertical shaft, J, turning in bearings in the yoke, and carrying on itfs upper end a hub, 7c, Figs. 1l and` 12, inwhich rake-arms L are pivoted to swing vertically, as usual. The triangular concave-block k, Fig. 14, interposed between the sockets of the rake-arms prevent or fender N on the outeredge of the platform.

This guard gathers the grain and also causes the rake to ride lightly over the platform. An elbow, l, on the under side Vof the inner end of each rake-arm carries a friction-roller, which runs on a guide-track or guide-cam, O,

mounted on the yoke G above mentioned. The

cam-guide (see Figs. 3 and 4) is supported on a spider, o, secured to the yoke by screws passing through elongated slots to adjust the cam in its seat.

The rollers ordinarily run on the fixed portion of the cam, as usual in rakes of this kind. A switch, P, swings horizontally on its pivot p, which is encircled by a coiled spring, p1, the tendency of which is to keep the switch open, as in Fig. 4, but the switch is closed, as in Fig. 3, every time a roller passes through it FFIGE.

by the roller striking a lug, p2, on the switch. Each roller is provided with a guard-point, 1, projecting from the roller-arm in front of the switch to shove the switch aside and prevent its striking squarely against the roller. The switch, when closed, is held closed by a sprn gstop, R, Fig. 9. This stop rocks on trunnions r under the cam-plate, and is kept up by a coiled spring, r1, so 'that when the switch is closed by a passing roller the lug r2, on the stop, is thrown up behind it, as in Fig. 3, and locks 1t until released. This release is effected in two ways; iirst, by means of a link-rod, s, pivoted to an arm S on the stop, and oper ated by a foot-treadle, S.

The details of this treadle arrangement are clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 7, and need not be here particularly described, as its details of construction may be varied in many ways obvious to a skillful constructor.

The peculiarity of this device consists in its location on the double-tree instead of on the fra-me, as usual, by which means interference with other parts of the mechanism is avoided. In the next place the stop is automatically operated by means of an arm, e3, working in a slot in the cam and projecting Islightly above it. An adjustable stud, t, Fig.

10, on one or more of the rake-arms, strikes v this arm @3 just before the roller on that rakearm comes tothe switch, releases the stop, and

allows the switch to open in time for the roller,

to pass through it. Thus, if one arm only has a stud, one beater will act as a rake in each revolution without aid from the attendant, who can, however, convert as many more beaters vinto rakes as he chooses. The latch T operates as usual with this class of rakes and needs no special description.

The rake-arm sockets, it` will be observed, consist of two vertical plates one on each side of the arm. One, V, is simply a clamp-plate or washer, the other, V', Fig. 2, is provided with screws, o, passing horizontally through vertically elongated slots in it into the washerplate V. This device compensates any shrinkage of the rake-arm. A set-screw, rv',passing up through an arm of the plate V', under the rake-arm, regulates its vertical adjustment in the plates, the elongated slots above mentioned permitting a slight vertical movement of the rake-arm.

The advantagesof my improvements will readily be appreciated by practical men, and their operation will readily be understood from the drawings and specification. I may remark, however, that eaeh friction-roller in turn would pass outside of the switchwh'en closed, as in Fig. 3, thus causing the rakes to act as beaters only, but when the stud or lug t strikes the arm c3 the spring-stop releases the switch, its spring throws it open and the roller enters throwing the beater into action as a rake. The roller then strikes the lug p2, on the 'tail of the switch, and closes the switch which is instantly locked by theA spring-stop, and held locked until the lug t again strikes the arm v3, or until the driver releases the stop with his foot by bearing on the treadle; when this is done, the spring throws the switch open, and it remains open until the next beater has been thrown into action as a rake, when it is closed by its friction-roller, as before described. The driver is thus enabled to regulate the size of the gavels at pleasure.

I claim as my invention- 1. The guard-point 1 on the rake-arm above and in front of the friction-roller to insure the opening of the switch, and to prevent the roller from catching on the end ot the switch, as described.

2. The combination of the rake-arm, its plate V', and the arm v', provided with means for adjusting the rake-arm vertically.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name. e

' WM. K. MILLER; Witnesses:

GEO. MCGUIRE, A. A. KEI rn. 

